


Insomnia

by ThatMasterOnline



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:33:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26989831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatMasterOnline/pseuds/ThatMasterOnline
Summary: Armin can't sleep. Eren helps. No smut.
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Erwin Smith/Eren Yeager
Kudos: 4





	Insomnia

It was late. Eren woke in the middle of the night, for no reason. He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

A heavy sigh sounded from beside him. He turned to look, and saw Armin. His eyes were closed, but Eren wasn't fooled for a second.

"...Armin?" he whispered, mindful of Erwin fast asleep right behind him. Armin opened his eyes, and that only served as more proof that Armin was  _ not  _ okay. Never, in all the time Eren had known him, had he seen Armin look at all like the twenty-something adult he was, but here they were. 

"...I'm sorry I woke you, Eren. Go back to sleep." Eren shivered at the look in Armin's eyes.

"...Are you okay?" he asked slowly, fidgeting a little. 

"...I can't sleep," Armin finally said. Eren blinked.

"Oh...How long have you been awake?" Armin looked at the clock, little more than a lazy flick of his eyes.

"...Four hours and twenty-six minutes."  _ Oh _ .

"Can I help?"

"I'm not going to say no," Armin replied, with a touch of sarcasm. Eren snuggled closer, and kissed Armin gently. He stroked his face, his body, keeping the kisses light and chaste. Armin sighed, the tension melting from his body, and Eren felt a surge of victorious pride.

That surge lasted for about five minutes. After ten minutes, Eren was getting frustrated, but he refused to stop for fear he might actually be helping Armin. It was a full thirty minutes later that Armin finally whispered, "I don't think it's working, Eren." When Eren pulled back, Armin's expression softened a touch.

"You tried your best, Eren. I'm sure I'll get to sleep eventually." But Eren shook his head.

"I'm not stopping until you get to sleep. Lie on your stomach." Armin rolled over, and Eren started to massage his back and shoulders. The massage was just as ineffective as the kissing and tender touches.

"...I'm feeling a little hot..." Armin eventually said, and Eren let him up so he could pull off the pyjama top he was wearing. Eren looked at Armin, and his eyes were wide open.

"Are you...not tired?" he asked.

"I'm exhausted," Armin replied, "But...I just can't sleep. I don't know how to describe it...It's like my body didn't get the memo." Eren sat in silence for a while.

"Maybe...we could try something that helps me get to sleep." Armin shrugged.

"I'm not going to say no," he said again.

"Alright, scooch up a bit." Armin sat forward, looking around as Eren sat behind him.

"Lay your head in my lap," Eren said, and Armin obeyed. Eren began gently running his palms along Armin's ears, letting out a huff of laughter when Armin raised his eyebrows at him.

"It helps me, maybe it'll help you." Armin hummed in response, closing his eyes. Eren ran his hands over Armin's ears over and over, and Armin laid in silence. Eren could feel the waves of crushing sadness coming off of him. He stroked his ears gently, tapping and squeezing.

"This is...like those videos you listen to, isn't it?" Armin asked, and Eren grinned.

"This is exactly like those videos I listen to," he said. He carried on stroking Armin's ears, and as minutes ticked on Eren began to consider that this maybe wasn't working as well for Armin as it did for him. 

"Looks like I'm going to watch the sunrise," Armin said, and Eren had never heard that sentence sound like a bad thing. Seconds before Eren was about to suggest something else, however, Armin said:

"...Eren...could you...maybe...my hair?" Eren felt a pang of an emotion he couldn't identify as he whispered, 

"Of course." 

He gently lifted Armin's head and began combing his hair back with his fingers. When he was sure Armin was comfortable, he ran his fingers through his hair over and over. He stopped to gently scratch Armin's scalp and Armin sighed, shivering a little. He kept going, and a few minutes later, finally, he saw a change. Armin's eyes, previously open and staring sullenly at the ceiling, started to flutter. Eren sat perfectly still, kept his motions smooth and even, and tried not to let his hopeful, anxious energy radiate to Armin. Armin's eyes closed fully, and Eren could quite literally feel Armin's breathing getting slower and deeper. Eren kept up his motions, not daring to stop and risk waking Armin.

***

Erwin blinked his eyes open, seeing the sun in the sky, high enough to be past sunrise, but still early morning. He stretched, but his usual yawn was cut short by a hissed, "Shut  _ up! _ " so venomous he actually froze. He turned his head silently. Eren was on his knees at the head of the bed with Armin's head in his lap, running his fingers through Armin's hair and glaring murderous daggers at him. Armin seemed to be asleep, but one look at the shadows under his eyes told Erwin everything he needed to know. He moved silently, getting on his knees beside Eren.

"Get up and stretch," Erwin mouthed, "I'll take over for a while." It was a slow, delicate process, but Erwin managed to nudge his knees in place of Eren's. He kept up the gentle scratching, just as Eren had been doing, as Eren gratefully stretched his legs out, standing up and shaking himself out. He padded off to the kitchen while Erwin kept up the massage. Eren came back with two cups of coffee, handing one to Erwin, who nodded his thanks.

"How long has he been asleep?" Erwin asked. Eren shrugged.

"An hour, tops? He was still awake when the sun rose. He was...I've never seen him like that. So...serious. So...sad, so...empty." None of the words Eren said were words Erwin associated with the usually childish Armin, and he put a hand on Eren's head.

"It must have been hard to see."

"I just...wanted to help him. He was so sad, so tired, but he couldn't sleep...I tried everything, I'd nearly given up hope...When he finally got to sleep I was so relieved...I'm...sorry I snapped at you, Daddy, I just...he was so tired, and it had barely been any time at all since he'd fallen asleep, I didn't think I could bear it if he woke up and couldn't get back to sleep again." Erwin kissed him gently.

"Don't worry about it, Eren, you did nothing wrong. How are you feeling? How long were you sitting like that?" Eren shrugged.

"An hour or so. My legs feel a little better." Eren sighed.

"Do you want to go back to sleep for a little? If you were up for a while trying to help Armin sleep, you must be tired."

"I...think I'd like that, yeah." Eren finished his coffee then curled back up under the covers, closing his eyes.

"Goodnight, Eren."

"Night, Daddy." 

Even taking into account the two hour nap, Eren still woke before Armin. They laid Armin gently down on a pillow before they both got up to enjoy their day off, and when Armin padded into the living room shortly after one, bleary-eyed and yawning, they both smiled. Armin curled right up next to Eren, snuggling him.

"Sorry, Eren...I really scared you last night...I didn't mean to, I was just so sad I couldn't get to sleep…"

"It's okay, Armin. How did you sleep after that? Okay?"

"Mm. I'm still tired, but I think if I stay awake a little while I'll feel better."

"Shall I make us all a cup of coffee?" Erwin offered, and Armin hummed.

"Yes, Daddy."


End file.
